Vaasa Region’s Waste Committee has approved the local waste management regulations that came into effect on June 1, 2022. They are based on the Finnish Waste Act, which mandates, among other things, that biowaste must be collected separately in single-family homes and that plastic and cardboard packaging must be sorted in housing companies. This is rooted in an EU directive aiming for an increased recycling rate of 65% by the year 2035.

According to the Finnish Waste Act, the transportation of biowaste and packaging waste (metal, glass, plastic, and cardboard packaging, as well as batteries) must be managed by the municipal waste company. The Waste Act allows the regional waste authority to decide who will transport mixed waste (combustible waste). Vaasa Region’s Waste Committee has decided that mixed waste will be transported by private companies in the free market until 2027. Therefore, mixed waste cannot be in the same container as biowaste and packaging waste and must be collected in a separate container.